Clearly the clever young men behind the social networking juggernaut Facebook didn't know about moms. Especially lactating moms. Anger them at your peril.According to an Australian paper, Facebook has recently removed photos of nursing mothers from members' homepages and banned all photos of breast feeding where the breast is even slightly showing.
As any mother could have told them, that was like pouring gasoline on a fire. Now, thousands of Facebook users are on a rampage. A Facebook group called "Hey Facebook, Breastfeeding is not Obscene" (a real mouthful, that) already has nearly 20,000 members, with more joining every day.
According to the article, spokeswoman Meredith Chin said Facebook, with some 31 million users worldwide, did not prevent mothers from uploading photos of themselves breastfeeding their babies, but it did remove content that was reported as violating Facebook's terms of use.
"Photos containing an exposed breast do violate our Terms and are removed," she said.
No word yet on how much baby there has to be covering said breast. But if the bikini-clad girls in some of the ads on the network are any guide, not very much.
As the furor grows, Facebook might want to take a page from Mattel Inc's (NYSE: MAT) playbook: Never underestimate the wrath of moms.
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Reader Comments (Page 4 of 4)
9-18-2007 @ 1:10PM
Tom said...
This is precisely the kind of thing that we Americans ban that makes the REST OF THE WORLD laugh at us...Its VERY simple:
Breastfeeding-good
Censorship-bad
If you can't get that concept -shoot a lethal dose of Similac into your vein so that future generations won't succumb to your ignorance.
9-18-2007 @ 2:08PM
tana green said...
Men only want to see tits that are hanging out of clothing. Then they are fun and sexy - a real mouthful. But let a baby have a mouthful and men get all oooo I can't stand seeing that. Makes me laugh.
9-18-2007 @ 2:03PM
Diana said...
Men made bottles. Breastfeeding/nursing is natural. There are pics of women half naked & in bikini's. What's wrong w/ being proud to show off that you are doing what's right for your child instead of puting some unknown man made chemical called formula into our babies!?! There are nude beaches everywhere. So why not be aloud to nurse your child wherever they get hungry. It's normal. I have nursed both my son's & my daughter in public & have never once had a problem in NJ! I nursed all of them for a year. When I worked p/t I pumped but could never get more than 2-4 ounces out at a time & it was also uncomfortable. We as mothers do what is good by our children no matter what the fuss! Get a grip! It's not like it's a naked breast you are looking at. It's a mother that is showing how proud she is to breastfeed & wants to encourage other women that may be to shy or that allow idiots like some on this site to make their mind up for them. Also my ex had 2 children before me & his ex didn't nurse. So when I nursed he was a little uncomfortable about it. I said I am doing what's natural. I delivered naturally w/out any meds so why would I put formula in their bodies? I nursed our son & he just loved to see how happy & content our son was. A bottle is so cold. Nursing is natural & it's a huge bond between mother & child. Put your babies before yourselves! A picture is nothing. You don't see a nipple. The babies face covers it. Family & parenting magazines show mothers breastfeeding all the time. My daughter used to act like she nursed her baby dolls. It's a wonderful thing to teach something so natural & positive. My older kids used it for their cereal when we ran out of cows milk. Women show more wearing bathingsuits that are more like dental floss & see through. Come on people.
9-18-2007 @ 5:49PM
paul said...
Wow, and I thought people got upset about politics. What most people seem to fail to take into consideration is that Facebook has the right to decide what pictures are allowed on the site. If you don't like their decision start your own site.
As far as whether breastfeeding in public is acceptable behavior or not consider the fact that breastfeeding in public was normal behavior until about 60 years ago when refrigeration became available. It slowly became less prevalent as women entered the workforce and that was because of convenience rather than any issue about morality. If you think it's wrong then you should start criticizing people like your mother and grandmother first. And as far as the comment that one person put up about Bush...I'm sorry, there's some things that you can't blame on him.
9-18-2007 @ 9:10PM
Marie said...
I NURSED MY CHILD, BUT NOT IN PUBLIC. ANY MOTHER WHO DOES THIS IS PUBLIC HAS ABSOLUTELY NO MORALS. GET A LIFE YOU STUPID MOTHERS!!!!!!
9-19-2007 @ 1:22AM
a pappa of ten said...
I would rather see the natural and beautiful way a mother is supposed to feed a baby,than a pig like spears without panties
9-20-2007 @ 2:30PM
Screw Society said...
It is very simple for a mother to put a baby blanket lightly over the baby's head and covering the breast. There is no reason for her to have to go home to feed her child, and there is no reason for the mother to bare her breast either.
Especially in restaurants where other people are trying to eat in peace. All these bikini's that people are referring to, men in baggy tank tops, and barefoot children are not allowed in nice restaurants, so why would breasts be? I will agree that it IS a special time BETWEEN MOTHER & CHILD, so why would the mother want to share that special bond with everyone else around her.
I AM saying there is NOTHING wrong with breast feeding in public, but she can still have that moment AND feed her child under a light cover-up. Very simple solution to something that never should have been a problem in the first place.
9-21-2007 @ 1:01AM
Roberta Marie Collina said...
Brestfeeding should be done in private not in public. That is my viewpoint and I agree with facebook. Get the point!
9-22-2007 @ 2:27PM
Erica said...
Marie is an idiot. I have higher morals than most others and I breastfeed in public. I make sure that I am not exposing anything that I wouldn't strangers to see, but if my daughter wants to eat, I refuse to starve her. BTW - ever look at how much those pumps cost? While I'm sure you all may be millionnaires, I don't necessarily have $250 to drop on a pump that will actually work.